


Just a Hunch

by SippingMyTea



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Era, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Merlin being Merlin, Merlin has visions, Prophetic Visions, Secrets, Seer Merlin, Visions in dreams
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-11-18 15:07:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18122762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SippingMyTea/pseuds/SippingMyTea
Summary: Merlin has these 'hunches' about upcoming events, or that's what he tells Arthur every time he is questioned. While Arthur finds it odd, he finds that it is best to listen to Merlin's 'hunches'. And one day, he finds out the truth, after he finds Merlin napping in his bed.





	Just a Hunch

**Author's Note:**

> First Merlin fic! Hope you enjoy it, and I hope you like my contribution to the fandom. I 'discovered' the show some time ago, am in the middle of watching it, am loving it, and the fanfics are so great, so I decided to throw my two cents in!

Arthur was perplexed, Merlin was an enigma waiting to be unravelled. More often than not, Merlin left Arthur wondering what on earth had just happened. Because in one moment, Merlin would smile cheerfully and be lovably clumsy, and in another, he would save Arthur's life with grim features. He would trip over air in one moment, and have Arthur's back in the other, actually taking out a bandit, even if he wore no armour and carried no other weapon than a stick from the ground. In one moment he would smile goofily and laugh with the knights, and in the next he would look like the entire world was stacked on his shoulders. This didn't even cover the entire list of peculiar things about Merlin, like his constant unexplained disappearances, or how he could give Arthur deep and heartfelt advice that spoke of wisdom beyond his years, and then immediately trip and drop a tray, sending fruit rolling over the floor. He was an open book, open for anyone to read, and yet it felt like he was hiding a world-shattering secret within those pages. It often left Arthur wondering what just happened.

But the terrifying part was really that he began to answer that question with: It's Merlin.

Worse still: the knights began thinking the same. Anything peculiar that Merlin would do in the presence of the knights was followed by a brief moment of silence in which the knights looked fondly exasperated, clearly thinking something like "Yep, that's Merlin, all right".

It wouldn't do for his knights to dismiss his manservant's behaviour so easily. Yet, he did the very same thing, did he not? Certainly.

However, there was one thing that Arthur could not simply overlook.

Merlin's hunches.

Merlin had this annoying (peculiar) habit of informing Arthur every time he had the feeling like something bad was going to happen. He'd come to Arthur in the morning, or just before something, and he would tell him something along the lines of: "I think you should avoid this place or avoid doing that today, just a hunch."

And he was always _right_.

At first, Arthur had ignored him. Merlin had only been his manservant for a few days, a week at most, when he had approached Arthur just before he fought Sir Valiant in the tournament, because it was very clear that, even though Sir Valiant was still in the middle of fighting his latest opponent, he would win and face Arthur. He remembered it clearly:

 

_"Sire," Merlin began, sounding unsure of himself._

_Arthur, already a nervous wreck who didn't want or need Merlin to worsen it just spat back: "I don't have time for this, Merlin!"_

_"Sire, I think... I think you shouldn't fight that knight." Merlin vaguely pointed in Sir Valiant's general direction. When he turned back to Arthur, he flinched, seeing Arthur glare daggers at him. "I think something's going to happen... something bad."_

_That last bit had Arthur somewhat intrigued. "And why is that?"_

_"Just a hunch." With that, Merlin had lost any of Arthur's sympathy, until: "I think... I think he's using magic. The shield, Sire, watch the shield in his fight... I think there's something off with it..."_

_"That's no light accusation, Merlin," Arthur said, brows furrowed, but calmer now._

_"I hope I'm wrong, too, Sire... please, watch the shield... and be careful around it when he fights you." It was all Merlin said before putting a hand on Arthur's shoulder (which he should have slapped away, but the short squeeze of it comforted him to such a degree that he was embarrassed by it) and leaving to get Arthur's sword for him. Arthur watched as the battle progressed, watching Sir Valiant closely, studying his moves. He fought well, a great fighter and warrior, by the looks of it, coordinated footwork, almost like a rough dance. Arthur knew he could do better than Sir Valiant, and he had the sudden urge to prove this to Merlin. Arthur decided to interpret Merlin's (rather treasonous) accusation of Sir Valiant using magic to win as a sort of way to tell Arthur that he believed Sir Valiant was simply better than him. It would be rather unlike Merlin, Arthur realised, to dance around actually speaking his mind, and he grew nervous again. He watched the shield closely, as Merlin had asked him._

_Sir Valiant was quick to get his opponent onto the ground, keeping him down with his shield. No one on the stands would be able to see the shield properly, and even Arthur had a hard time really seeing it, but then there it was._

_He swore he saw the snakes on that shield move and attack the man on the ground._

_Arthur's eyes widened as Sir Valiant was cheered on for his victory. The man on the ground wouldn't move and Arthur saw Gaius rush to the man's side to treat him. Arthur knew what had happened, he swore that what he saw had been real._

_Merlin had been right._

_After that, when Arthur fought Sir Valiant, he intentionally let the man bring him to the ground and waited for him to do whatever he had done before to summon the snakes. There it was, he heard the mumbling, and he threw Sir Valiant off, who dropped the shield, revealing to all who watched the snakes on it coming to life. Needless to say, Sir Valiant had been detained and burned later that afternoon._

_Arthur remembered he had decided not to confront Merlin on the matter, thinking it a lucky guess on Merlin's part and being grateful for it, yet not saying as much when Merlin had looked at him almost smug when Arthur's gaze had caught his after revealing Sir Valiant's use of magic. Then Merlin had looked proud of him, and Arthur couldn't help the happiness that began soaring inside of him. That was until Merlin had stood beside Arthur when Sir Valiant had been burned alive. Arthur had caught Merlin trembling, his hands gripping the stone railing so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. Arthur had almost put a hand onto Merlin's shoulder like Merlin had done for Arthur before his fight with Sir Valiant, because he knew that Merlin did not like watching executions, but he had thought better of it. It would have been noticed and questioned._

_("Yep, that's Merlin," Arthur had caught himself thinking, because Merlin just felt like one of those kind souls who could not stand watching people die, no matter how much they may have deserved it. Arthur had decided that was a good trait on Merlin, who he knew was still acting as Gaius' apprentice and if he actually did become a physician under Gaius it would only help him with treating everyone who came to him for help. The kindness looked good on him, too.)_

 

That had been the first time Merlin had come to Arthur with one of his 'hunches'. Arthur hadn't thought much about it afterwards, until Merlin continued to come to him with them, seemingly feeling empowered by Arthur accepting and listening to his hunch the first time around.

The following times Merlin had approached him, however, Arthur had not listened to him, at least not actively. When Merlin had come to him one morning and had slapped the cup of water out of Arthur's hands, Arthur had yelled at him, until he saw Merlin's surprised and fearful expression and had let him explain himself.

 

_"I'm sorry, Sire," Merlin stammered and picked up the cup from the floor, then pulling out a rag from somewhere and cleaning up the water from the ground._

_"What did you think you were doing! I should have you thrown into the dungeons for that!" Arthur yelled, raising his hand as if to slap Merlin, but quickly withdrew it when Merlin visibly flinched. Arthur's anger dissipated almost completely, and he looked at Merlin expectantly, waiting for him to explain himself._

_"It's just..." Merlin wrung his hands, "I think you should avoid the water for a bit, Sire. At least drinking it."_

_"And why is that?" Arthur raised a brow._

_"Just a hunch."_

_Arthur shook his head, but indirectly listened to Merlin. For the rest of the day, he kept away from drinking water, even though he didn't actually realise he was doing so until he felt thirsty, but flinched when he was offered a cup of water by a servant overhearing his complaint. He then declined, before he realised he had been doing this all day, and he thought himself silly, listening to Merlin like that, the boy knew nothing._

_But then he heard about people getting sick, and dying._

_And then Gaius said that it was because of the water._

_Behind Gaius stood Merlin, and when Arthur looked at him in surprise, he saw grim resignation on Merlin's face._

_Merlin had predicted this._

_Then Arthur began having suspicions. Merlin couldn't possibly have anything to do with this, could he? Arthur wasn't sure about any of it, but after Gwen was accused of sorcery, Merlin defended her and even went as far as to shout at the entire council that he was the sorcerer, not Gwen. Of course, Arthur had to jump to his defence, saying something vaguely insulting about Merlin's mental health, and how he was in love with Gwen and couldn't possibly be a sorcerer. Arthur then gave Merlin a very pointed look when Merlin tried to insist on his death wish. In the end, Arthur managed to not get Merlin executed at dawn._

_Instead, Merlin dragged him to Camelot's water supply at dawn._

_"I did some digging, and I figured out what is the cause for the illness," Merlin said as he dragged Arthur into the darkness and lit a torch, handing it to Arthur. "And I came here just an hour ago, and I found it, and I need your help, Arthur."_

_"Slow down, Merlin. What is it that you found?" Arthur protested being dragged along, but felt like he shouldn't pull his wrist out of Merlin's hand, which troubled him._

_"It's an afanc. I found a book detailing magical creatures, in case we need to defend ourselves against them, and I read about it, and then I found it here. Arthur we need to kill it, or all of Camelot will die within the fortnight." Merlin's tone was desperate, like he really needed to convince Arthur, but Arthur knew that Merlin had him the moment he dragged him into the darkness that led to Camelot's water supply._

_It was truly startling how easily Merlin made him listen and obey._

_It really shouldn't be so easy._

_(But then again, those eyes were just so sincere and innocent and kind, Arthur found it increasingly difficult to deny him anything, and this began to frighten him.)_

_In the end, killing the afanc had been surprisingly easy, and Arthur had no doubt that Merlin had something to do with it, though he hadn't seen Merlin do much after they found they afanc. The important part was that this beast was dead and Camelot would survive the sickness. Merlin had even found something (something that Arthur thought looked a bit like an egg, though it was too round for that) that proved Gwen's innocence and put the blame on someone else entirely. Someone Arthur had never heard of, but who had his father bristle with fear._

 

After this incident, Arthur was a little more reluctant to just dismiss Merlin's 'hunches'. Especially since after this disaster, another had been headed their way, by the same name, though Arthur would not get to know this.

In between this and the next major event, there were hunts and patrols, a doubled amount of patrols because they were on the look-out for a particular sorceress. Before a lot of these hunts (less before the patrols), Merlin would approach Arthur and tell him he had a bad feeling about the hunt. This time, Arthur had not listened to Merlin, calling him a girl, and calling him out for making up excuses so he wouldn't have to go with him on the hunts (which had been when Arthur had first learned that Merlin even couldn't stand watching animals die).

But in the end, Merlin's hunch had been right every single time. The number of times they had been attacked by bandits, angry boars and sorcerers spoke for themselves.

The day King Bayard came to Camelot to sign the peace treaty, finally ending the horrible war between their kingdoms, Merlin had been particularly agitated. But he hadn't said anything yet, which had made Arthur actually stop Merlin before he fled the room.

 

_"Merlin, there's something you're not telling me." Arthur prevented Merlin from leaving by grasping his hand, though he had aimed for the wrist._

_(He decidedly ignored the flutter his heart gave at the contact.)_

_Merlin looked anguished, like not telling Arthur was somehow painful, but like telling him would cause him even more pain._

_(At that moment Arthur decided he hated that look on Merlin's face and vowed to never give him reason to wear it again.)_

_"I don't want to ruin the treaty, Arthur." Merlin's voice was a pained whisper. Arthur squeezed Merlin's hand reassuringly._

_"Just tell me, okay?" He made every attempt to appear as non-threatening as possible, keeping his voice calm and smooth and comforting. It seemed to work when Merlin nodded meekly, so unlike him that it made Arthur shudder, and opened his mouth._

_"Something's going to happen. At the feast, I know it. Just... don't drink anything tonight. Please, Arthur."_

_(There it was again, that look in his eyes. It made it entirely impossible for Arthur to deny him his request.)_

_Arthur nodded. "I'll keep away from the drinks tonight. You... you don't think it's Bayard, do you?"_

_To Arthur's infinite relief, Merlin shook his head._

_(Then he was surprised at his relief, because while Merlin's hunches seemed to be correct a lot, why should Arthur have any inclination to think that Merlin really knew what he was talking about besides a gut feeling?)_

_"Not Bayard, but... I don't know... It's just a-"_

_"Hunch?" Arthur couldn't help but smile. Merlin blushed and nodded shyly._

_(Arthur decided he liked the red on Merlin's face. It suited him, looked good on him. Secretly, he made a plan to put that flush many more times onto Merlin's face. As many times as he could.)_

_Everything seemed to go right and well for once. The treaty was signed and any animosity left those clad in red and in blue to make room for the celebration they would have in honour of the treaty (and in honour of those who gave their lives for this moment, for this peace). Everything went right and well._

_That was until Arthur was offered a goblet and was supposed to drink from it._

_And, of course, he had to drink from it, as he couldn't offer a reason not to (and it would do no good to list Merlin's 'hunch' as a reason. It would be rude and insulting and the peace was already fragile enough as it was)._

_And, of course, Merlin had to keep him from doing so at all costs._

_"The goblet is laced with poison!" Merlin ran and snatched the goblet out of Arthur's hand and looked imploringly at Uther, then at Bayard. Bayard seemed to recognize that look as one not of accusation, but something that screamed: "I know you didn't do this, but please help me clear this up!"_

_Uther, on the other hand, heard only an accusation in Merlin's words and feared that this may result in another war._

_"Are you mad, boy!" Uther yelled at Merlin, but Merlin ignored him and stared at Bayard imploringly._

_"Sire, I saw someone break into your room and lace the goblet with poison. I didn't see who it was, they wore a blue cloak, hiding their face, but I don't think they were actually from your household or court," Merlin said quickly in explanation. Some part of that was a lie, Arthur knew it, but by the look on Bayard's face, he seemed to believe it._

_Uther, on the other hand, was furious. And he forced Merlin, beyond all reason in his fury, to drink from the goblet to prove his statement. Arthur protested this, as did King Bayard, but Merlin didn't even hesitate as he swallowed the entire thing down._

_A moment of silence in anticipated tension passed over the room. A moment longer, and people seemed relieved as well as angry with Merlin. Another moment longer, and Merlin was on the ground, dying._

_A search for the assassin was ordered and the entire castle was searched, but they could not find them. Arthur, meanwhile, dragged Merlin to Gaius' chambers and implored the court physician to please save him._

_(He would later deny his begging tone and words whenever Merlin asked about it.)_

_Gaius told him of the flower that could save Merlin and the cave where Arthur may find it. Uther forbade him from going there, but Arthur did not care for his father's words. Morgana convinced him to damn the consequences and he was off on his way. King Bayard had even promised him to keep Uther's anger at bay when Arthur returned with the flower._

_The journey was a blurry haze that Arthur barely registered. All his thoughts were on Merlin, Merlin lying on the bed, unconscious, sweating, barely breathing, **dying**._

_He forced his horse to ride faster and faster until he arrived near the cave. A woman sat there, crying and dishevelled on a log by a burnt out fire. Something about her felt off, and he was sure that if Merlin was here he would say he had a bad feeling about her. But he wasn't, and Arthur didn't trust his own hunches enough to listen to them, and he approached the woman to offer his help. Then there was a beast, attacking him, and he fought it, the fight itself as much of a blur as the previous journey until the beast laid slain before his feet. Adrenaline rushed through his body. He vaguely registered the woman offering to show him to the cave, and he took her up on the offer._

_He should have seen it coming from a mile away, and maybe it was because he was so dazed with his desperate need to save Merlin that he was so naive that day, but he should really have seen it coming, for Merlin's sake. It turned out that the woman was a sorceress, bent on killing Arthur. He only barely managed to avoid falling to his doom, when she sent an army of spiders his way. Large spiders. Horribly large spiders, the likes of which he had never seen before and made him shudder in revulsion._

_Then, suddenly, in the darkness of the cave, there was a light. A ball of blue light floating in front of him, illuminating the walls, allowing him to see where he was climbing, allowing him to see the spiders and slay them with his sword, allowing him to see the flower he was looking for. After a few desperate attempts, he finally manages to grab one of the flowers and tear them from the wall, and he began climbing out of the cave, just barely avoiding the spiders biting him. He felt utter relief wash over him when he managed to exit the cave, then, more dread, because now he had to get back, and get back in time._

_He forced his horse, the poor thing, to run faster than ever before, again only thinking of Merlin, dying. The thought spurred him on like nothing ever had before, and maybe the adrenaline coursing through his veins was the fright he felt at the notion. Nothing had ever spurred him into reckless action as much as Merlin had, and he could not bear to lose that, the mere thought made him hate himself._

_When he arrived back at the castle, his father was furious with him, as Arthur had guessed. But then his father locked him in a cell in the dungeons, to punish him and make an example of him, to show him that he should not risk his life for that of a servant._

_King Bayard, on the other hand, had personally snuck down into the dungeons to get the flower Arthur had brought back home. Arthur had been more than ready to lay down his dignity and beg the man, as he had begged his father, to bring the flower to Merlin, but it was to his endless surprise and relief that Bayard had done so without any prompting whatsoever, and Arthur was infinitely glad and grateful for it. It seemed King Bayard was as grateful for Merlin intervening as everyone else, for otherwise it would have started another war. Arthur did not care for the reasons, as long as the flower got to Merlin in time._

 

He had never been told just what had happened in Gaius' chambers. But when he had been released from the dungeons he had gone straight there, to find Merlin awake ( _not dying_ ) and eating some steaming soup. It was at that moment that Arthur just wanted to rush to Merlin and drag him into an embrace and never let go.

(To this day the feeling terrified him, that raw desire, it was frightening. And yet, he regretted not acting upon it.)

Now he stood by his own bed, watching Merlin take a nap in it. He should be furious, by all accounts, as was his right, he should be. He just couldn't bring himself to feel any anger. This was the most peaceful he had ever seen Merlin be. Like there was nothing troubling him, like nothing could trouble him, like he knew he was safe. Safe in Arthur's bed. Safe from any threat under Arthur's covers. It called one of Arthur's most well-hidden desires to show its head and whisper into Arthur's ear.

_He is right there._

Arthur shook himself before he let the voice in his head utter any other word that may make him forget himself and do what it would inevitably propose.

Instead of doing anything like disturbing Merlin from sleeping (and he looked like he desperately needed it as well) or anything else stupid that should be his right, he simply sat down on the armchair by the fire, because he didn't trust himself enough to sleep next to Merlin. He justified it to himself by thinking Merlin was already hogging most of the bed.

(Though it was big enough for Arthur to lay down in it without so much as coming into contact with Merlin.)

He began dozing off when it happened. Merlin mumbled in his sleep, and Arthur snapped awake when he heard his name being called.

"Arthur..." Merlin all but whimpered and Arthur sprang up from the armchair, suddenly wide awake as he jumped to Merlin's side. He contemplated waking him.

"I'm here, Merlin," Arthur found himself reassuring his manservant. Merlin, however, did not react at all to this.

"Watch out... you... no... No!" Merlin thrashed once. "He's... a liar... he wants to... kill... Uther... Gaius, watch out... NO!"

And with that, and heaving breaths and sweat running down his forehead in pearls, Merlin jerked awake, nearly jumped off of the bed, but Arthur caught him in his arms, grabbing on tightly because Merlin was still caught in a feverish stupor that had him thrashing and resisting Arthur's grip.

"No, NO!" Merlin yelled and Arthur pulled him closer, pulled Merlin's head against his chest so that one of his big ears lay directly over his heart. He knew it was beating horribly fast and so he willed himself to calm so that his heartbeat would as well and do its job at soothing Merlin's nerves.

Somehow, Arthur had a feeling that tonight, the nightmare, was not a unique occurrence.

Sooner than Arthur thought, Merlin came back down from the panic attack, and he finally recognized both his surroundings, and whose arms he was currently being held by, whose hands held his back and combed through his hair most soothingly. He almost melted into the sensation, but the realisation of _who_ was doing this kept him from it. He tensed up and straightened up, pushing Arthur away with an embarrassed flush on his cheeks.

"I'm so sorry!" Merlin yelped and jumped up from the ground. Arthur followed this motion slowly, standing in front of Merlin, not giving him a way to escape, except maybe if Merlin were to run over the bed. Merlin went on a ranting ramble of how he ended up sleeping in Arthur's bed, and Arthur only half listened as he guided Merlin to sit down on the bed. Merlin hadn't even noticed Arthur doing this until he felt the dip in the mattress and actually looked up from staring at the floor, at Arthur. Merlin blinked in surprise and confusion. Arthur had taken hold of one of Merlin's hand with both his own, rubbing his thumbs along Merlin's knuckles.

"I'm not angry at you sleeping in my bed, though I really should be," Arthur gives Merlin a pointed look that made Merlin chuckle, "I just want to know what's up with... you had a nightmare, didn't you?"

Merlin flushed anew and looked away. Arthur knew not to speak because something told him that Merlin was about to tell him, just that he needed a moment to collect either himself, his thoughts, or both. Merlin breathed in and then looked at Arthur again, something pained in his expression.

"It's about Morgana... and- and someone new, sort of-" Merlin stopped himself, shaking his head. "I have a bad feeling about tomorrow, Arthur. Something with a physician, and fire and... beetles..."

"What, so you want me to stay away from Gaius, fire and... nature then?" Arthur raised a brow in amusement, ready to do just that the following day, but he was surprised to see Merlin shake his head.

"No. No, it's..." but Merlin couldn't explain.

"What was your nightmare about?" Arthur asked instead, because he still hadn't gotten that answered yet.

"Morgana... she grew ill, from something that crawled into her ear, I didn't see it well. And Gaius couldn't do much to help, then this man came, half his face was covered in burn scars. He said he could help her, and he pulled the beetle out of her ear and... he made Uther replace Gaius with him and- and then he put another of those damn beetles into his ear! Gaius tried to stop him, but the man has magic and circles him in a fire and-" Merlin finally found it in himself to breathe. "That's where it stopped..."

"So, you mean to say... Physicians, fire, beetles..." Arthur began and Merlin nodded. "Your hunches... and all this time... you dream it all?"

Merlin nodded. It looked as though it pained him to admit it.

"When did this start?" Arthur kept his tone carefully calm and soothing. The last thing he wanted to do was scare Merlin away with any form of brash or even angry tone. He wasn't angry. More curious, though he knew if his father were to hear what Merlin had just said he would scream 'SORCERY!' and 'EXECUTE HIM!' so loudly that it would be heard five kingdoms over.

"My mother says... My mother says that I always came to her with these dreams, once I could talk and tell her, that is, and that it always came true. I dreamt about famines, and mother would cut rations and save them, and then the famine would hit us. I dreamt of rain, and it would rain. I dreamt of droughts, and there were droughts. I dreamt of bandits attacking, and mother would drag me to a place where she knew we would be safe, and we would come back to find that bandits had attacked our village. I could never explain it, my mother certainly couldn't- they just happen, and they come true. I'm sorry, I should have told you much sooner, but..." Merlin sighed.

"Never a good time, hm?" Arthur chuckled softly and Merlin nodded.

"Every time I thought I was ready to tell you, something else seemed to think it funny to come in my way... And there is something else, too, but... I- I can't talk about that yet... I'm sorry..." Merlin looked pained once again to keep something from Arthur. Arthur simply shook his head.

(He had, after all, vowed never to give Merlin a reason to wear that anguished expression again.)

He removed one of his hands from Merlin's hand, and instead he used his freed hand to grasp Merlin's cheek, stroking his thumb just underneath Merlin's eye. Merlin's cheeks flushed the deepest sort of red Arthur had ever seen, except the colour of blood from a fresh battle wound. He felt that one particular desire rise up in him again at Merlin's innocent look, the sparkle in his deep blue eyes that shimmered gold when the fire reflected in them just right. It felt so right to just lean in, and then to capture Merlin's lips with his own.

Merlin gave a surprised little noise (not of protest, or alarm, just surprise, Arthur noted) and began to kiss back a moment later. The kiss was soft and yet it set sparks flying in Arthur's stomach and seemed to turn his entire world around, shattering it and rearranging it as it saw fit, with Merlin at its centre.

(Like he should be. Like he was meant to be, Arthur thinks.)

The kiss did not grow heated or anything beyond this innocence, this sincerity. The kiss felt like Merlin, as silly as it sounded said like that. But it was kind, like Merlin, sincere, like Merlin, honest and innocent, like Merlin, despite the secrets Arthur knew the manservant held. The kiss said 'I love you' as much as it said 'I'm sorry' and 'Thank you'. Arthur felt lightheaded, reckless, _invincible_ , which was a most dangerous feeling. He felt like he could conquer the world with one word and flick of his wrist, and he found himself thinking that such would make for an excellent present for Merlin. The world at his feet. Though, he knew that Merlin, in all his lovely innocence and selflessness, would not know what to do with that world and wish for Arthur to have it instead.

Finally, they pulled away and gazed into each other's eyes lovingly. They both felt the exact same way, like they just found the other piece to their puzzle, the other half to make them complete, and they relished in this feeling for an hour. But then, and they both knew and dreaded it, they had to speak of the next day.

"Tomorrow... Is there no way to prevent it?" Arthur asked.

"There is always a way to prevent the worst of it. Uther will not die, I will make sure of it." Merlin said grimly.

"And Morgana? And Gaius?" Arthur asked.

"I will make sure of it," Merlin repeated and then smiled, "I have done this my entire life, Arthur, preventing bad things from happening when I see them and when I can."

"What is your great plan then?" Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow almost as well as Gaius always did. He gently tugged Merlin into the bed, too exhausted to undress or change into his sleepwear.

"The beetle is already in Morgana's ear by this time. Tomorrow, she will not wake. Uther will have Gaius do everything he can to cure her. Then, you encounter the man whose right half of his face is covered with burn scars. You mention him to your father. Gaius can't seem to do anything, and the man is called. He pretends to have an elixir or something like that to cure everything, and he asks to be alone with Morgana. He puts blood in her ear, Gwen catches him doing so and he sends her away before he says a spell and pulls out the beetle from her ear. She wakes. He suggests to Uther that Gaius, due to old age and outdated methods, has done many mistakes in the pasts, and so Uther decides to replace Gaius with the man. And that night is when he strikes. Gaius tries to confront him afterwards, but is attacked." Merlin explained in greater detail.

"Doesn't sound like a plan..." Arthur murmured.

"No, that's what has to happen. It has to or I won't have anything to... I don't know the word for it, but see, if I intervened in the middle, or gods forbid at the beginning of it all, everything would change, and I wouldn't know what would happen next. And I wouldn't know how to respond to it, let alone stop it..." Merlin explained, and Arthur nodded.

"So what then? After all that happened?" Arthur asked.

"I'll attack the deceiving physician from behind - not very honourable, I know, but who cares? - and then I will remove the beetle from Uther's ear. Gaius will get credit for saving him and the deceiving physician will be dealt with, if he hasn't already, and Gaius will be court physician again, and the balance will have been restored." Merlin put a grin on his face at the end of his explanation and Arthur couldn't help but grin along.

"What should I do?" he asked then.

"Play your part, what I told you. You suggest him to your father so that he can remove the beetle he put into Morgana's ear. I'll take care of the rest," Merlin smiled up at Arthur. The words 'Like I always do' were left unspoken but still hung in the air between them.

"You have to live with these... visions..." Arthur muttered, pulling Merlin into another embrace. "All your life, whatever horrible thing may happen, you know it, and you live it twice..."

"You make it sound horribly heroic and self-sacrificial, I don't like it." Merlin pouted.

"Well, isn't it?"

"I've had it my whole life, Arthur. The only time it's ever bothersome is when..." Suddenly, Merlin grew silent. Silence always worried Arthur, and when that silence came from Merlin, and so suddenly, it meant that something was wrong.

"What's wrong?" Arthur asked, suddenly feeling very alarmed.

"I've had... dreams where... you..." Merlin didn't finish the sentence, but Arthur could feel the words on his tongue.

"Die," he finished for Merlin, who flinched but nodded.

"Yes. You know, people constantly try to kill you. It's become a weekly occurrence, and honestly? It is exhausting sometimes to keep up with everyone who wishes to enact their revenge for Uther's reign. Sometimes I just want to lock up the entire castle, let no one in or out, and have everyone safe in here, no one able to get to anyone to harm them. But that won't happen. You and everyone else in here will always find a way to get into some sort of trouble." Merlin sighed and put his head to Arthur's chest.

"Somewhat hypocritical coming from you, don't you think?" Arthur mused. 

Merlin grumbled. "I only get into trouble to get you lot out of it."

And so it all happened as Merlin had dreamt it. Morgana had fallen ill. Gaius couldn't seem to find a cure. The man with the scarred face arrived. Arthur mentioned him to Uther. Sometime later, the man did his thing and Morgana woke. Uther was convinced that this man would make a good replacement for Gaius. The man tricked Uther into drinking some potion that would leave him conscious but unable to move. Everything Merlin had told Arthur that would happen, did happen. And Arthur did nothing. He felt horrible for it, but he did not under any circumstance want to mess up whatever Merlin had planned by changing anything.

And so, in the end, Uther was saved, and the sorcerer was taken care of and everything returned to how it was before. Except, of course, Arthur and Merlin.

"Merlin," Arthur was already awake when Merlin entered his chambers (without knocking, Arthur briefly noticed and the thought brought a short flash of a smile onto his face).

"Arthur," Merlin smiled and nodded.

"Anything of note for today?" Arthur asked and Merlin knew what he meant, he was sure of it.

"No," Merlin shook his head with a grateful smile, "Thankfully. Peaceful days, or nights, come sparingly few times since I came here."

"So you had a restful night?" Arthur inquired further. If Merlin said yes, Arthur would be a little mean and give him a few extra chores.

"As restful a night as I can have, seeing I have to work even more all day because you think a good night's sleep means I can take extra chores," Merlin huffed and began making the bed. Arthur was surprised that Merlin spoke of his dreams so openly now (and yet he spoke vaguely enough so that no one listening to their conversation could be sure what he was speaking of).

"Well, you do need to mend my boots, polish my armour-"

"Muck your stables, mend your shirts, clean your laundry, sharpen your sword and get a necklace as a welcoming gift for the princess who will visit in two days," Merlin interrupted and finished listing his chores for Arthur, "Of course, Sire."

 _You're no fun,_ Arthur thought with a smile. "How is it then that when I gave you a bit more to do, you always were so indignantly surprised?" Arthur asked, more amused than he was letting on.

"I may see what the day holds for me, but your prattishness is even more outstanding in reality than I can dream. I don't know why it still surprises me, but it is how it is," Merlin answered simply and shrugged for good measure. He walked over to Arthur, who was sitting at his desk, trying to write something.

"Won't you begin with your chores then?" Arthur asked, looking up at Merlin, standing far too close for it to be appropriate for a servant (Arthur found he didn't mind the intimacy at all).

"What are you doing?" Merlin asked instead of answering.

"You don't know?" Arthur raised a brow.

"Arthur, I don't see everything, I'm not omniscient, much as I need to be to save your hide every two days." Merlin rolled his eyes at Arthur. Arthur snorted.

"You sure act like it," ("I do?", Merlin asked quietly, doubting.) Arthur smiled, "What's it look like? I'm writing the speech for the treaty."

"Already?" Merlin raised a brow, then smiled fondly, "Good to see you learnt to do these things not just the night before."

"Well..." Arthur grumbled out the rest so Merlin couldn't hear him.

"What was that?" Merlin asked.

"I said it doesn't change that I still struggle with it," Arthur grumbled, stabbing the quill into the ink pot, miraculously only a few drops of ink splattered out. Arthur moved the quill over the parchment, then hesitated. A few moments later, Merlin opened his mouth with a teasing smile.

"Want me to write it?" he asked and Arthur was quiet for a moment longer, then sighed in defeat and nodded. "Crown prince Arthur Pendragon of Camelot, defeated by quill and parchment."

"Oh, shut up, Merlin."

Merlin was glad that Arthur had taken the news of his _dreams_ so well. He hadn't even thought to link them to magic, which surprised Merlin still. Perhaps, some day, he may even tell him about his magic.


End file.
